UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) delivered on his promise to prove his critics wrong with a spirited 12 round battle over a game but overwhelmed Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KOs).
The bout began with fireworks. Both fighters came out swinging and looking to intimidate. An early flash knockdown scored by Ortiz was ruled a slip, and that was followed up with a legit knockdown off a straight left-right hook combination. Berto was badly hurt and his equilibrium was gone. The only stroke of luck for the defending WBC champion was that the knockdown happened late in the round.
Round two continued the all-out assault from both. Ortiz sensed Berto’s vulnerability and continued to hurt the champion with every landed blow. Berto looked to turn that fight around with one shot, and it came off his straight right. Ortiz stumbled backwards and the referee ruled the shot a knockdown to even up the brawl on the scorecards. Unlike the Maidana fight, Ortiz did not panic. He dominated round three by pinning Berto to the ropes and mixing hooks to the body with uppercuts. Berto tried to con Ortiz into more attacks, but it was clear the champion was still hurt and trying to get a breather with his version of the rope a dope.
Berto’s corner was irate. They were frantic in their advice for their man to regain focus.
“Stay off the fucking ropes!” they implored. “You’re a fucking beast! Now show these people!”
Ortiz would continue dominating in rounds four and five. Although Berto would occasionally crash home his powerful straight right, Ortiz remained active throughout these six minutes by exposing Berto’s ineptness on the inside. Again trapping Berto on the ropes, Ortiz worked him over with heavy power punches.
Berto’s last chance to turn the tide came in the sixth. Ortiz, perhaps gaining too much confidence, left himself open in an exchange and caught a huge counter right hook. The punch dropped and hurt Ortiz, who got up and immediately started backpedaling. Berto pounced with more hooks, trying to will through his own exhaustion from the rounds of punishment.
But Ortiz would not be denied. He remained calm and caught Berto with a hook of his own to even the round with a knockdown. Berto, hurt again, wore an expression that was a mixture of disbelief and discouragement at the refusal to lose shown by Ortiz.
Although Berto would take round eight by boxing from ring center, Ortiz would dominate down the stretch. He never abandoned the body punching, and it paid dividends in the championship rounds. Berto complained to the referee and held more than punched. The whining prompted the referee to deduct a point from Ortiz in round 10 for rabbit punching, but he did not lose his resolve. Ortiz stayed with his offense of mauling body shots and right uppercuts to finish the 11th and 12th strong.
The judges rewarded Ortiz’s consistent effort with scores of 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111, redeeming questions about his heart and earning Ortiz his first title. While all of Ortiz’s knockdowns were from head shots, the most telling stat was Ortiz’s focus downstairs. He scored 82 body shots to only 15 for Berto.
“I fought like I was possessed because that’s what boxing made me,” Ortiz told Larry Merchant in the post-fight interview. “Everybody always denying me; I know what’s in my heart… I had no respect for the world champ.”
Berto, who was taken to the hospital for a broken hand and likely concussion, was shell-shocked by Ortiz’s effort.
“That wasn’t me in there tonight. It just felt like nothing was falling in place,” he said.
The tape-delayed undercard featured Amir Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) making a successful defense of his WBA junior welterweight title over Paul McCloskey (22-1, 12 KOs). Khan struggled to land consistent clean shots on McCloskey’s awkward, southpaw stance. Nonetheless, it was Khan who was active with flurries and he succeeded at times in catching McCloskey with his straight right. An errant clash of heads in the sixth produced a short but jagged cut over McCloskey’s left eye, causing the ringside doctor to stop the fight with what appeared to be the nodding agreement of McCloskey. All three judges scored the fight for Khan by 60-54.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 